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Uplift Reserve is chronologically the second flashback level of the game. The level opens 30 minutes after the drop, as a UAV observes Dutch walking on the beach of Uplift Reserve. He watches the aircraft fly overhead toward New Mombasa before proceeding to move out of the park through heavy Covenant resistance, including Wraiths and multiple other vehicles. Several Marineplatoons are also present in the area, and at one point Dutch is tasked with finding one of them. While driving into the last section of the park, Dutch witnesses the collapse of the Orbital Elevator. In the end, he manages to drive out of the park through a large gap in the perimeter wall caused by falling elevator debris and right into the streets of the city.[2]

Two Drone Fighters fly toward the city over the Uplift Nature Reserve, one of the Drone's cameras zooms in on an SOEIV on the beach, and an ODST walking away from it. The ODST is Dutch who watches the Fighters fly overhead. View then switches to Dutch's perspective.

Dutch: "Good hunting, boys... I'm keepin' my boots on the ground."

{Gameplay}

Dutch heads up a hill to a clearing where Marines are engaging Covenant armor and infantry, a group of Marines are taking cover near an overturned Warthog, one of the Marines spots him.

Marine #1: "Trooper, over here! Help us secure this vehicle!"

Together they take out the enemy infantry.

Marine #1: "Thanks for the assist, trooper! Get this Warthog movin', our CO needs us to clear this sector."

Dutch: "Affirmative."

They engage heavy Covenant armor, including Wraiths, Choppers and Ghosts.

Marine #1: "Watch that Chopper! Hit it head on, and it'll tear us to pieces."

Marine #1: "Keep movin'! Don't let that Wraith take a shot at us!"

Marine #1: "Swing behind the Wraith! It's got less armor in back!"

After defeating the first Wraith, another moves up and a Phantom arrives dropping off reinforcements; those are soon defeated as well.

Dutch finally reaches the top of the hill, and is faced by one final Wraith, a War Chieftain and many Covenant forces.

War Chieftain: "Let no humans escape, to say what they have seen!"

Marine #2: "Find a hole in the wall, trooper! Drive right through it!"

If Dutch stalls:

Marine #2: "Trooper, there's a hole! Floor it!"

If Dutch further stalls:

Marine #2: "Make the jump, now!"

Dutch drives off the cliff, into the streets below.

{Cutscene}

Dutch's Warthog/Ghost/Chopper flies off the cliff and lands on the streets below, bouncing once, then crashes into a building. Dutch falls out after the bounce, and his helmet falls off.

Dutch: "Uh, Lord? I didn't train to be a pilot. Tell me I don't have any more flying to do today."

The view switches to a Superintendent camera that is watching as a Drone Fighter crashes into a monument. The Superintendent's avatar shows the "sad face" image. The optics detaches from the fighter and crashes to the ground, where the Rookie later finds it. Dutch gets up, helmet in one hand.

Dutch: "So...was that a yes or a no?"

The vehicle Dutch was driving previously explodes behind him. He turns around to face it.

This is possibly the easiest level to get Vidmaster Challenge: Classic by getting in a Ghost or Chopper and boosting until the end of the level.

This is the only level in Halo 3: ODST to have Brute Choppers.

In Sections A and B of the reserve, which have open beaches, Old Mombasa can be seen across the water, with barrages of anti-air fire coming from an unknown point of origin within the city.

When you first encounter Shade Turrets in Section B, if you turn left towards the shore you can find a dead zebra without eyeballs. Two more zebras are located near the entrance to this section.

An audio glitch occurs when you get a certain Checkpoint marked by a UAV passing overhead. If you die or revert to that particular Checkpoint, the UAV no longer makes any noise.

At the level's end, whatever vehicle you use - a Warthog, a Ghost, or a Chopper - to make the dramatic jump will appear in the ending cutscene. All will have the same speed when crashing into the wall and will explode at the same time. If you make the jump without a vehicle, the Warthog cutscene plays by default.

Wraiths in this level self-destruct if the pilot is killed, much like the Anti-Air Wraiths in Halo 3. However, they can be commandeered using the same method. Because Wraiths were not intended for you to use in this level, if you drive one over the cliff using the aforementioned method, it will transform into a Warthog, a Ghost, or a Chopper.

Even if you have a vehicle with Marines when jumping at the level's end, the end cutscene shows an empty vehicle except for Dutch. Interestingly, if you stop your vehicle before the cliff, the marines will wisely exit.

You can see a section of the New Mombasa Coastal Highway while on the suspension bridge where you witness the collapse of the orbital elevator. The bridge itself can be spotted on a certain section of the Coastal Highway level.